PHILOSOPHY 201 A01: Critical Thinking

MTh 10 11:20 am
HH B105
Course Outline
Instructor:

Dr. C. Klatt

Office:

CLE B311

Email:

cklatt@uvic.ca

Office Hours:

Mondays and Thursdays 11:30am 12:30pm,

Wednesdays Noon 2 pm, and by appointment

Drop-In Hours:

CLE B315, Tuesdays 11:30am 1:30pm, Wednesdays 12:30 3:30pm,

Fridays 1 2pm

Text:

The Power of Critical Thinking 2nd or 3rd Can. Ed. By Vaughn and
MacDonald
(Used copies can often be found at the UVic Bookstore or at
SUBText).

Course Objectives:
Arguments serve as a way to persuade others that something is true. Arguments allow us
to increase our knowledge of the world in the absence of direct observation. We see
arguments every day: in the newspaper, in advertising, in lectures, in common
conversation. Argumentation plays such a large role in our lives that we would be remiss if
we did not take the time to learn how to evaluate them effectively. In this class we will
investigate various techniques that can be applied to determine the worth of arguments.
There is a treatment of elementary principles of deductive and inductive logic as well as
informal fallacies. An understanding of the basics of logic will help the student write better
essays, read more efficiently and think critically. This course will also be of benefit to
anyone who plans to write the LSAT or GRE exam.
Grading:
Best 10 of 15 homework assignments @ 2.5% each
=
5 Tests @ 15% each
=
nd
th
th
th
nd
(Jan. 22 , Feb. 5 , Feb. 26 , Mar. 12 , Apr. 2 )
No Final Exam
The final grade will be recorded as a percentage.

25%
75%

Homework:
Homework assignments will be completed online through CourseSpaces. I will spend
some time during the first week of class explaining how to write the assignments online. If
you have any questions, please email me. The assignments can be written any time before
9:30am on the day it is due (unless otherwise stated). For exact due dates see the
Syllabus below. If you miss the homework assignment you will be able to view the answers
online after the due date as long as you have opened the assignment before the due time.
Please note that it will be very difficult to do well in this course if you do not
attempt most of the homework. Late assignments will not be graded.
Course Material on CourseSpaces:
I will put my lecture overheads, homework assignments, practice tests, solutions to
selected homework problems, and any handouts given in class on CourseSpaces. I will also
use our class CourseSpaces site to post grades. If you do not have consistent access to the
internet then please come talk to me and I will make a paper copy of the abovementioned
available in the library.
When you need help:
There are a number of different ways to receive assistance with any problems that you have
with the material:
i) Practice Questions on CourseSpaces Practice assignments with detailed
explanations for the answers are available on our CourseSpaces site.
ii) phil201@uvic.ca - Email your questions and receive answers the same day.
iii) Drop-in hours CLE B315, Tuesdays 11:30am 1:30pm,
Wednesdays 12:30 3:30pm, Fridays 1 2pm
The course TA will be available to discuss any problems that you have with the
course material.
iv) Office hours CLE B311, Mondays and Thursdays 11:30am -12:30pm,
Wednesdays, Noon 2 pm.
Please feel free to come by my office during office hours to discuss any difficulties with the
course material or homework problems. Most of the difficulties that students have with
logic can be cleared up quite easily. I encourage you to work and study with your
classmates; they can be a great resource. If you cannot attend the scheduled office hours
then please email me and we will make other arrangements.
When you miss a test or assignment:
Since I will be counting only the top 10 of 15 assignment grades, there is no need to contact
me unless your illness causes you to miss more than five assignments.

If you miss a test, and have a legitimate, documented excuse (e.g. doctors note, letter from
an academic advisor) then email me as soon as possible. You will have an opportunity to
make up the missed material.
Other Information
For N grades and DEF status, please see Calendar.
Information regarding religious observance can be located in the UVIC Calendar, and in
posted Department of Philosophy Policies.
Tests will be returned in class as soon as they are graded. For those students who have
signed a Department of Philosophy Privacy Waiver (available on CourseSpaces), graded
work not picked up in class will be placed in a mail box, labeled with the number of this
course located next to the office of the Department of Philosophy. All other graded
materials must be picked up from the instructor during office hours.
Academic Misconduct
See the section Policy on Academic Integrity in the UVic calendar for information on
cheating and its consequences. In particular, note that:
Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

copying the answers or other work of another person

sharing information or answers when doing take-home assignments, tests or
examinations except where the instructor has authorized collaborative work
having in an examination or test any materials or equipment other than those
authorized by the examiners
accessing unauthorized information when doing take-home assignments, tests or
examinations
impersonating a student on an examination or test, or being assigned the results of
such impersonation
accessing or attempting to access examinations or tests before it is permitted to do
so

Students found communicating with one another in any way or having unauthorized
books, papers, notes or electronic devices in their possession during a test or examination
will be considered to be in violation of this policy.
Aiding Others to Cheat
It is a violation to help others or attempt to help others to engage in any of the conduct
described above.
Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in a zero on the test or assignment or failure
in the course.

Syllabus:
Jan. 5th
8th
12th
15th
19th

Chp 1 Arguments, Premises, and Conclusion

Chp 3 Deduction, Induction, Validity and Soundness
Implicit Premises, Argument Patterns
Assg 1 Due, 9:30am
Diagramming Arguments /Review
Assg 2 Due
Chp 5 Fallacies of Irrelevant Premises
Assg 3 Due

22nd

TEST#1 (covers Chps 1 and 3)

26th
29th
Feb. 2nd

Fallacies of Unacceptable Premises/Review

Chp 6 Propositional Logic: Translations
Translations Contd

5th

TEST#2 (covers Chp 5)

9th, 12th

Reading Break

16th
19th
23rd

Truth Tables for Arguments

Short Truth Tables/Review
Chp 7 Categorical Logic - Translations

26th

TEST #3 (covers Chp 6)

Mar. 2nd
5th
9th

Venn Diagrams
Syllogisms Testing Validity
Review

12th

TEST #4 (covers Chp 7)

16th
19th
23rd
26th
30th

Chp 8 Inductive Reasoning - Enumerative Induction

Statistical Syllogisms and Arguments by Analogy
Causal Arguments
Assg 13 Due
Chp 9 Explanations
Assg 14 Due
Review
Assg 15 Due

Apr. 2nd

TEST #5 (covers Chps 8 and 9)

Assg 4 Due
Assg 5 Due
Assg 6 Due

Assg 7 Due
Assg 8 Due
Assg 9 Due

Assg 10 Due
Assg 11 Due
Assg 12 Due

This syllabus is tentative and subject to change.

What is the sense of studying philosophy if all that it does for you is enable
you to talk with some plausibility about some abstruse questions of logic, etc.,
and if it does not improve your thinking about the important questions of
everyday life?
Ludwig Wittgenstein